Chapter 2 - Rome to Tel Aviv - Fay Berry

19930208 – ROME TO TEL AVIV – Flight AZ 746 11.25 am

I was sorry to leave Rome, because I had had such an idyllic time there, but I was glad to be on my way to Israel.

Befar Melbourne

On the Alitalia ‘plane to Ben Gurion airport, Lud, Tel Aviv. same flight were a group of young Australian Jewish teenagers who were going to Israel for a year’s program organized for them in Israel. The were going to do various studies, stay on kibbutzim and spend about four months in the army – not as “real” army members, but just to give them a taste of what life is really like in Israel. The group were calling themselves “Befar Melbourne.”

The steward, Giovanni Candiolo

The Steward in this photo is Giovanni Candiolo of C.So Duca Di Genova 92 00121 Ostia Lido, Rome, Italy. The Jewish young people were a friendly and well-behaved group of young people, but they had one serious flaw as far as I was concerned; they ALL smoked, and because they were all so excited, none of them slept during the night, and ALL of them smoked. We were in the non-smoking section but in that plane there was NO non-smoking section because the plane was simply FULL of smoke. I nearly died and there was one young mother, also in the non-smoking section, with a young baby and the baby was in real trouble during the night. This was 1993 and smoking was the thing to do, but today, that would not have happened.

The Shaliak

The Shaliak is standing and sorting out the young people’s Kosher lunch orders. I later found out that in my opinion, just about ALL Jews in Israel smoke, and if they don’t? Well they chew gum. I was told that it was because they were all “living on their nerves!”

Mark and Tzippi Bergman with Baby Shirelle

Mrk and Tzippi Bergman and baby Shirelle . They had been staying at the Quirinale Hotel in Rome as well. Tzippi is an Israeli and Mark is an Australian although he looks Jewish. They were going to Israel to live.

Judith and Abraham Last

Judith and Abraham Last were very helpful to me. I got on the wrong ticket queue and they came looking for me and brought me back to the right place. I was very grateful.

Helen Ennis

Helen Ennis was an Australian Volunteer and she was going to Kibbutz Netiv, Halamded He, Dn, Emek Haela Israel, which is near Bet Shemish.

Jordi Rosenfield

Jordi Rosenfield lives in Melbourne and he asked me to send him a card which he would get when he returned to Australia. I am ashamed that I never did this, and here I am some 22 years later, only now working on my photo albums.

Starting Descent to Ben Gurion Airport at Lud, Tel Aviv.

We began the descent to Ben Gurion Airport at Lud, Tel Aviv, and the cloudscapes were so beautiful. It looked as if we were in an undersea grotto rather than up in the clouds.

The cloudscape was like an undersea grotto.

Coming in to Tel Aviv

The Jews love their home land

I could see Israel’s shoreline and I was so excited. If I was excited, the young people of “Befar Melbourne” were even more excited. The instant their feet touched Israeli ground, they began to touch, kiss or lie on the ground of their “home land.” This is their land and they love it.

An Israeli kissing the tarmac

The Photo I took of the young people of “Befar Melbourne”

“Befar Melbourne” asked me to take a photograph of them as they sat under the “Welcome to Israel” sign.

They took a photo of me with my camera sitting with them under the “Welcome to Israel.” sign.

Then they asked me to sit with them and a photo was taken of me sitting right in the front of all of them as they sat under the “Welcome to Israel” sign.

Joe Sedeh, Keren Hayesod/United Israel Appeal/Jewish Agency representative come to meet me.

I had got so caught up in what was happening with “Befar Melbourne” that I had forgotten that I was to be met inside the airport and some twenty minutes had passed since the ‘plane had landed. I hurried into the terminal and saw a Jewish man standing all alone in the now almost empty terminal. He saw me and rushed towards me. He was in quite a “tizz.” “Mrs Berry?” “Yes,” I replied. “I thought I had lost you. I am Joe Seder.” I am to take you to your husband who is waiting outside.” Joe was the Keren Hayesod/United Israel Appeal/Jewish Agency representative sent to get me through customs. I followed Joe and he took me out of a side entrance so that I did not have to go through Customs.

Jeff waiting outside the airport for me to arrive. He is with the hosts of the young people of “Befar Melbourne.”

I was met by Jeff with, predictably, a video camera in hand and a crowd of the “Befar Melbourne” hosts waiting for the Melbourne group to come through customs. It is so good getting “VIP” treatment, here I was outside and through customs whilst all the Jewish Young people would probably take another half hour or so to get through Customs.

Yakov Zekry

Jeff and I were then introduced to Jakov Zekry who was the Jewish Agency driver who was going to take us to the Windmill Hotel in Mendele Street Jerusalem where we would be staying. He lives in Rubinovitz Street, Bat Yam. In the Windmill Hotel, after we had been shown to our room, we went out into the foyer again and met Renee and Laurence Becker who were there representing Youth Aliyah (they live at Aliyat Hanoar St, Ramot Oz Jerusalem.) Jeff gave the Becker’s one of the cheques I had brought with me for Youth Aliyah. We also met Anna Ruben who lives in Hapartisanim, French Hill, Jerusalem. She is a member of Emuneh.

On my first evening in Jerusalem, Jeff and I walked through the Jaffa gate and went to the Western Wall at midnight, in the rain. I will never forget being there at the Western Wall so late at night. It was really eerie and yet there were still people there, praying, and rocking back and forward as they do.

Central Bus Station

19930209 – Tuesday – Jeff and I caught a bus to Tel Aviv getting off at the Central Bus Station where we were picked up by Tsaffra Sliwowicz, Director Youth Towns of Israel and taken to David Raziel Youth Town. There we met Alex Sneider, the director and Ross Israelstein (from South Africa and he currently lives at Ramat Yam St Herzliah) We were taken on a tour of the youth town and the children put on a musical concert for us. They were very talented. We then caught a bus back to Jerusalem.

Youth Towns of Israel

Linda Mosek

Linda Mosek, Shrager Hect and Jeff Berry

Linda Mosek, Shrager Hect and Jeff Berry

19930210 – Wednesday – Rishon Le Zion

We were picked up at the Windmill Hotel by Schrager Hect a Jewish Agency guide. We drove to Tel Aviv and then to Rishon Le Zion. From the moment Jeff and Schrager Hect got together they talked an argued endlessly. Shrager is a well-known guide and Jeff’s knowledge of Israel his topography and its history is second to none. To me they seemed to be in constant competition. At Rishon Le Zion which is a community undergoing what is called “Project Renewal.” A big rejuvenation of the many slum areas is being undertaken. Linda Mosek works for this Project Renewal which is Australian sponsored to renew the suburbs of Rishon Le Zion. Shikun Ha Misrach is one of those suburbs and this is where we had been taken. In this photo are Linda Mosek and our guide, Schrager Hect at the Karon Community Centre at Shikun Ha Misrach. Linda is describing to Jeff and Shrager theProject Renewal work which is being undertaken at Shukun Ha Misrach.

Karon Community Centre Library

Linda Mosek at the Karon Community Centre library at Shikun Ha Misrach. There are a lot of Australia books in English in the library which have been donated from Australia.

Karon Centre

This “Australian” painting was on the outer wall of the Community Centre at Shikun Ha Misrak.

Outer wall of the Community Centre

So much of Shikun Ha Misrach were slum areas and it is these buildings that Project Renewal intends to change. Home owners are given money to renew their roofs or to build an extra room or other kinds of assistance to improve the amenity of their homes and thereby the amenity of the whole district.

Housing development for Shikun Ha Misrach

Rishon Le Zion used to have a bad reputation as a centre for crime and a distribution centre for drug dealing. Since Project Renewal has improved the appearance of the districts people have been encouraged to sell up their flats in Tel Aviv and come to Rishon to buy a small house and a little land. Prices for land and houses have doubled and Richon Le Zion and it suburbs such as Shikun Ha Misrach are now perceived as acceptable places to live and to bring up a family. Australian investment in Rishon has gone way beyond its original investment in the rejuvenation of the whole of Rishon.

Wizo Child Day Care Centre

Jef and I were taken to visit the Wizo Child Day Care Centre in Shikun Ha Misrach.

The children of the Wizo Centre are well cared for and the environment is designed to assist their balanced development. The Centre works together with he parents to provide an enriching and happy environment for the children.

Shikun Ha Mizrach

New building development at Shikun Ha Misrach.

Shikun Ha Misrach’s population is 12,000 and it is a suburb or neighborhood of Rishon Le Zion.

Shikun Ha Misrach’s population is 12,000 and it is a suburb or neighborhood of Rishon Le Zion. In 1905 there was a mass immigration of Jews from Yemen to this area and since then there has been “Operation Schlomo” and “Operation Moses.” There is therefore a large number of Yemenites in the area. There are also Jews from Ethiopia, Syria, Persia, Sweden, Australia and South Africa. Iran came out 7 years ago and now the Russians are coming to Rishon. What resources there were mostly went to Rishon Le Zion itself but not to Shikun Ha Misrach. Australia adopted Shikun Ha Misrach in 1987. Judy Aarnd coordinated the development. Australia’s involvement is direct and Shikun is accountable for the way monies are spent. There is a steering committee which acts on recommendations of the neighborhood. The Ministry of Housing and the Municipality looks after the infrastructure. Project Renewal assistance is divided into two areas, physical and social. At present a new Community Centre is being built and when it is completed all activities will be transferred over to this new modern centre. Funding starts at a peak and diminishes year by year. There is only two years left of the budget for social programs which presently covers pre-school to elderly. Then there is a maintenance fund. he steering committee determines which needs should be addressed. The need is 10% services for elderly, 90% for Yemenite population. There are volunteer groups who work in the area via UIA funding. Australian volunteers come and live in the Volunteer’s flt in Shikun in a disadvantaged part of the neighborhood (the flat we are to live in) and they teach English and assist in any other ways they can.

Dina Shemul and Shrager Hecht

Ch 2 - Rome to Tel Aviv - An Ethiopian woman and her child at the Community Centre

An Ethiopian woman and her child at the Community Centre
Mevarreset Tzyion is an absorption centre for a large number of Jewish Olim who come to Israel. The original project commenced in 1981 and at that time most of the population were academic people who did not have a job or were unlikely to get a job. But the Aliyah of today is very different. Now we have had the Moses operation – Israel got 7,800 Ethiopen Jews in five or six weeks! who did not know what to do or how to handle the culture. People were hired from the Ethiopian community to help as well as Israelis. Then in 1991 there was Operation Schlomo. This was a much easier experience than the previous Moses operation because the Centre now knew how to handle the Ethiopian and the older people were ready to accept them. The 8-10,000 that came after were not accepted so easily. They had to be accommodated in hotels. Then came the Russians. Russians are very middle class people – they remain separate and often complain – they are not easy to work with. Iran came out 7 years ago. They came with nothing and a lot of children came out from Iran in 1987 without parents. This absorption Centre is the biggest in the country. It has 200 apartments, but doesn’t have enough people to handle the basic maintenance of the centre. It has become very run down and it needs workmen. There are a lot of emotional and health problems. The Ethiopian needs a lot of help. Most of them have children. They are housed in apartments and receive money from the Government until they find jobs. They attend Ulpan (classes in Hebrew) for 6 months. Because their culture is so different and they have difficulty adjusting and learning the 6 months drags into a year and sometimes more. There are not a lot of jobs. It is all very difficult. There are a large number of Ethiopians who are cared for by this centre.